5 - Vinylphile

Transcription

5 - Vinylphile

LPHILE
VINY
March 2011 Issue 5
The digizine for discerning music lovers
LPHILE
VINY
Cast of Characters
Publisher,
Editor-in-Chief Rich Teer
Graphical design Jenny Teer
Reviewers and Annie St. Jean,
contributing John Adrian Spijkers
writers
Advertising Rich Teer
Website rite-online.net
www.vinylphilemag.com
Got questions or comments?
Please send them to:
[email protected]
(250) 317-2210
© 2011 by Vinylphile Magazine.
All rights reserved.
VINYLPHILE March 2011 2
Contents
Features
5
Editorial
7
Dealer Spotlight
In this installment of Dealer Spotlight, we pay a
visit to Seattle’s Definitive Audio.
By Rich Teer
14
Annie’s Audio Adventures
Annie has the unenviable task of listening to one
of Van den Hul’s state of the art interconnects.
By Annie St. Jean
40
Final Words
40
Advertisers Index
Equipment Reviews
15
Simaudio Moon 310LP
Simaudio’s top phono stage impresses us.
By Rich Teer
20
Spin Clean Mk 2
Record Reviews
30
Record Reviews
Our regular look at records old and new, including
some re-issues of popular oldies.
By Vinylphile staff
Now cleaning your records needn’t clean you out!
By Rich Teer
25
NAD PP 3i
We check out NAD’s budget phono stage, just for
those starting out on the path to vinyl valhalla.
By Rich Teer
15
Editorial
I
t seems that some things never
change. Back in the 1980s, when I
was growing up in England, the British
Phonographic Industry (BPI) mounted a
campaign to discourage people from
recording the records they’d purchased
onto cassettes (sound familiar?). Many
inner record sleeves featured the logo,
which had the headline “Home Taping
is Killing Music” and the tag line “And
it’s illegal”. Although I am not a lawyer
(nor do I play one
on TV), I think that
copyright
laws’
fair use provisions
render the latter
inaccurate.
But
it’s the former
assertion that I’d
like to talk about
here.
The BPI’s position (and, I assume,
that of the RIAA also) was that people
recording copies of their records
were thieves, depriving artists of their
royalties, and that the reduction in
royalties would deter musicians from
releasing their work commercially. I
don’t mind admitting that I’ve made
copies of records I own for my own use
(e.g., in the car), and that I’ve received
copies of records I didn’t own. Perhaps
I am in the minority here, but my only
reason for the latter was to experiment
with new music. If I liked the album, I
purchased a copy; I like supporting
artists, and like looking at cover art.
So, I don’t think that home taping (or
these days, recording) is killing music.
I think what is
killing music is
a
combination
of two things:
crappy
music
performed
by
untalented artists,
and compression.
The first of these
is arguably a generational taste issue,
so I’ll leave it at that (besides, there are
many example of great modern music).
But the second issue is more serious.
There are actually two types of
compression, both of which are killing
music. The first (dynamic compression)
happens in the recording studio, usually
at the behest of misguided artists or
producers; you may have heard of the
loudness wars. In an effort to make
their material “stand out”, artists want
their music to sound louder. The only
way to do that is to reduce the dynamic
range, which is the difference between
the quietest and loudest parts of a
track. Dynamics are an important part
of music, and in my opinion, reducing
them to this degree is criminal.
The second type of compression (data
compression) is that used by iPods
and the like, and again there are two
types: lossy and lossless. Both reduce
the amount of space needed by a
song, but achieve it in different ways.
With lossy compression—of which
the most common example is MP3—
musical data is literally thrown away:
it is irretrievably lost. With lossless
compression (examples of which are
FLAC and Apple’s proprietary ALAC),
the music files are compressed in a
manner that does not lose musical
information. While I’m on the subject,
don’t kid yourself that higher bit rate
MP3s are an acceptable alternative to
lossless or uncompressed audio: yes,
they’re better than low bit rate MP3s,
but that’s a bit like saying that having
two fingers cut off is better than losing
your whole hand, when one of the
alternatives is to not have anything cut
off!
A few years ago when disk space was
at a premium, compression enabled
one to fit much more music onto one’s
portable music player. These days,
portable devices have so much more
space for music that compression
is arguably unnecessary. Given that
pretty much all today’s portable music
devices support lossless compression,
the scourge that is MP3 (and other
forms of lossy compression) should be
history.
If people could hear their music in better
quality—i.e., uncompressed or with
lossless compression—they’d enjoy it
more as a main activity as well as for
background music when doing other
things. The more people enjoy their
music, the more music they’re likely to
purchase. Everyone wins: consumers
get more music which they enjoy more
because it is better quality, artists sell
more records and earn more royalties,
and the record companies earn more
money too. Even high-end audio
companies will benefit: once people
hear what music can really sound like
on a system where sound quality is
important, they’re going to want to
have that same experience in their own
homes.
highest quality content.) Enjoy your
music like it was supposed to be
enjoyed!
As I write this, the Salon Son & Image
show in Montreal is fast approaching.
I’ll be there to check out all the neat
audio gear; I love meeting new people,
so if you see me, please stop me and
say hi!
Enjoy this issue of Vinyphile, and as
always, thanks for reading!
If you love music (and if you’re
reading this, it’s not an unreasonable
supposition!), eschew lossy audio
compression like MP3, and petition
record companies to stop the loudness
wars nonsense. (While we’re at it, let’s
petition Apple to add FLAC support
to iTunes: it’s free and unencumbered
by patents, so there’s no technical
reason why they couldn’t, and places
like HDtracks.com use FLAC for their
Dealer Spotlight
Definitive Audio
By Rich Teer
I
was in Seattle last November, and
while I was there I decided to visit
a couple of the area’s many audio
stores. One of the stores I visited was
Definitive Audio; Showroom Manager,
Ron Paternoster, and Marketing
M a n a g e r,
Jennifer Griffin,
were
kind
enough to take
time out of their
busy schedules
(at short notice,
no less!) to play
hosts. After a
tour of their
showroom, I had
a conversation
with Ron and
Jennifer about
life at Definitive
and audio in
general.
What’s your background? Tell us a
bit about yourself (both the company
and personally).
The company was founded in 1975 by
Jim Croft and two other investors. Jim’s
background is acoustical engineering
and all three were audio enthusiasts.
As an enthusiastic audiophile, having
recently graduated from the University
of Washington with a degree in business,
our
current
President, Mark
Ormiston, joined
the
company
in the early
1980s,
right
after Definitive
moved into a
larger
facility,
and
bought
out
one
of
the
original
investors.
In 1990s, with
a new partner/
investor,
they
Jennifer Griffin and Ron Paternoster flank a Wilson Audio MAXX Series 3 speaker.
formulated the plan for Definitive to
become the company that it is today,
and it took off from there. They went
from being a small operation that just
did really high-end two-channel audio
and some home theatre, to being this
hybrid of doing high performance music,
home theatre, and custom installation
that’s done from a bricks and mortar
showroom, which is really the unique
thing that Definitive has done.
While a lot of the high-end dealers
went to being a “by appointment only”
custom show room that was maybe
in their house, Mark decided that
it was really critically important for
customers to come see, hear, and be
able to compare products if they were
going to build high performance home
theatres and two channel systems. In
the mid-1990s that approach had sort
of disappeared.
During the 1990s the company
continued to grow. We built a second
facility in Bellevue, and then just last
year we bought the place down in
Tacoma, Advanced Audio, which is
owned by Curtis Havens. If you look
across our sales staff, we’ve collected
talent from all over the country: people
have come here to work for Definitive
and we’re pretty pleased with the staff
we have. Most of these guys have been
here for years: I’ve been here for 16
years, John’s been here the same time,
Craig has been here 18 years. Most
of our core people have been here
a long, long time because we enjoy
working in this environment where we
just don’t do ultra high-end stuff, we
service the whole range of customer
needs and we’ve got a whole palette of
everything to work with. We don’t suffer
unhappy people. We basically have the
resources at our disposal to ensure that
our customers are absolutely thrilled
with what they buy.
Speaking personally, from where did
you get your love of hi-fi?
My first taste of hi-fi was when I was
eight or nine years old. I heard a pair
of Dahlquist DQ-10s at an audio store
in the mall called Shock Electronics
in Rochester, Minnesota. Then when I
went to college I started working in a
hi-fi shop. I worked for a gentleman
called Jim Ingadella who really taught
me the craftsmanship of hi-fi: how to
set up speakers and turntables, and
how to tune a hi-fi. He started my lifelong obsession with Linn. He was a big
fan of Linn and taught me how to listen,
told me what to listen for, and how to
compare hi-fi components. Eventually
he said, “It’s time for you to go out into
the world and work for big hi-fi company,
one that’s got more customers that
are more interested in these types of
products”. He recommended about
three different places; I interviewed with
them and this was the obvious place to
be, so I moved out here from Wisconsin
and I’ve worked for these guys ever
since.
How important is it to have a great
relationship with the manufacturers
of the products you represent?
It’s absolutely invaluable. I’m here
ultimately in service to the client; I
think that being relevant in whatever
you do makes it easier to get things
done. Several of our manufacturers
come to us with design questions, we
see prototypes, we get asked, “what
kind of products do you want to see us
make”, and we get to beta test almost
everything our manufacturers make. So
it’s nice for a lot of reasons and very
good for our clients, I think.
Do you sell used gear in addition
to new, and if so, roughly what
percentage of your business comes
from buyers of used gear?
We used to sell used gear in the store.
Tom, who’s been here more than 20
years, has always been active on line,
building his own hi-fi and selling used
equipment via Audiogon. We have a
consignment service that he runs that’s
very effective, so if clients want to do
an upgrade or they’re downsizing their
home and want to move a portion of
their system, Tom handles everything
from photography to putting it online to
dealing with it. The unique thing about
that is that most things on Audiogon
are really inconvenient. We’ve got all
the things like Visa and Mastercard that
they don’t normally have. We’re pretty
effective at moving product, and we do
it on a sliding scale based on whether
upgrades are going to happen. So we’ll
take a much smaller cut if the customer
is going to do a significant enough
upgrade. If it’s a straight up sale, we’ll
take a cut that makes it worth his and
Definitive’s time.
probably never have been the cheapest,
but at the end of the day, when you
avoid follow-up visits because it’s done
right and you’re pleased with what
you got, we actually end up being the
cheaper option.
How has the global economic
slowdown affected your business?
But I think what really makes us different
is the level of experience we’ve got. You
can buy B&W speakers up the road, but
they’ve only had them a few months.
We’ve had them for 35 years and I know
every model they ever made, and I know
what the older Matrix series work with,
because they’re nothing like the current
offering. We don’t just sell stuff. We
build relationships with people that last
a life time. We are their hi-fi guy, or their
theatre guy; it’s one facet of your life,
like when you trust your doctor, there’s
no reason to worry about your health
because you can make a phone call
to your doctor. We’re their electronics
guy. That’s our goal: to have a life-long
relationship that’s good for both of us.
From a retail perspective, there’s a lot
less door swings. I think that any retailer
you talk to will have a lot fewer people
coming through the door. Through
the years I’ve been here, advertising
has never been a big priority for us.
We’ve always worked off word of
mouth referral. We believe that with
an experienced sales staff that builds
relationships with customers, we don’t
have to depend so much on people
coming in and buying a box.
We touched on this a bit earlier, but
what are the benefits of buying from
Definitive Audio?
Even our least experienced guy here,
Jesse who’s 26 years old, is a master
speaker set up guy. When you buy a
pair of speakers from Definitive, you
get... We don’t just sell them to you, we
go out to your house and set them up.
The same thing applies to our
installation crews. We’ve got guys with
15, 20 years of experience, and some
even more than that. We do everything
with attention to quality and detail. I
won’t say that we’re the cheapest. We
How would you describe your
average customer, and roughly what
proportion of your customers are new
(as opposed to repeat business)?
I would describe our typical customer as
an aficionado. At this time, the guy that
comes through our door is not here by
mistake. He’s got an interest in what we
do, usually is a performance enthusiast
to some degree—it could be video or
audio. I’d say other customers are the
very discerning, luxury buyers. We
have a great deal of those clients who
have very high expectations and want
to own the very best. The percentage
of new versus old, I’d say... We have
a very, very strong repeat business,
and I’d have to look at the numbers
to tell you, but far more than 50% of
our customers are repeat customers
and I’d say maybe even 70% or more
are people that we continue to do new
homes for or that add onto their system.
Roughly what proportion of your
clients have analogue sources, and
how has that trend changed over the
last few years?
I would say that it’s maybe 20% to
25%, and that’s increased sharply
over the last few years. There’s been
a lot of LP12s coming out of closets
and getting refurbed in the last couple
of years! I really noticed a spike... We
did an LP12 clinic, which we’ve been
doing for years, about three years ago
when some the new upgrades came
out, and we had 18 people, 16 of which
I’d never seen before in my life, bring
in LP12s to get worked on. Some of
those LP12s were 35 years or more
old, they were early 1970s LP12s. The
thing that’s really exciting is that we’re
right by the University of Washington:
we’re 15 blocks away. Of the walk-in
traffic, I would say that in a week if we
have a hundred people walk through
the door, ten of them have questions
about turntables. And many of them
are young, so the Pro-Ject products
that we sell and also for guys who are
on their second life with analogue, that
VPI Classic has been a godsend. You
know, a lot of them don’t want to make
the jump to a super ‘table like a big
Linn or an SME or an HRX, that ‘table,
at $2,750, has been a real solid choice
for a lot of them. So between that and
computer audio, they dominate the
conversations in the store every day,
and our focus too.
Do you host any after-hours events,
and if so, what impact do they have
on your business, especially from
new customers?
We do, I would say, on average
about one per month. Our Director
of Performance Audio, Craig Finer,
does nothing but set up hi-fis, tune
theatres, and also run events that are
vendor related. Last month we did a
catered Magnepan event, the month
before he did a seminar called Tips and
Techniques, and in September we had
a Linn evening. So we do one almost
every month after hours. I would say the
clientele is a lot of repeat folks, but a few
new people based on what the focus
is. When we did computer audio we
VPI turntable, Audio Research amplification, and Wilson Audio speakers: vinyl is very much
alive and well at Definitive Audio!
had some new faces I hadn’t seen from
over on the East side. We’ll be doing an
LP12 one here with Alan Williams from
Linn on the second, and the next week
we have a Meridian event with Norm
Stunky and Ken Forsyth coming from
Atlanta to do a demonstration of the
808.3 and the Sooloos integration.
Two times per year we do very large
events. We do a home theatre event
typically in the third week of June. It’s
a big budget, non-sales evening, where
we would typically have the likes of
David Wilson, Bob Stuart, and other big
heavy hitters come in. We convert our
entire Bellevue show room to a display
of new home theatre technology.
Many, many things are shown for the
first time ever there, for example, the
Sophia 3s were shown for the first time
anywhere at our home theatre event in
June. That was the first time the trade
or consumers saw them. We’ve been
doing this for eighteen years now, I
think, maybe more.
We’ve always attributed that to a
strong surge in sales and interest in
home theatres. It’s never been a selling
event—in fact, it’s always prominently
spoken about not being a sales event—
it’s simply a way for customers to see
the new products. It’s for fun, for people
to come and enjoy what we do and what
our industry does. But we do notice an
increase in sales. I mean, people having
exposure to the likes of David Wilson,
they’re going to be excited about this
stuff, which is the whole goal!
Then here in Seattle, in February we
do an event called Music Matters. It’s a
one evening event, and last year we had
about 500 people in the store, maybe
more. It was pretty crazy! [2011’s Music
Matters event was attended by more
than 400 people in five hours, and
featured companies like Wilson Audio,
Audio Research, Transparent Cable,
B&W, and Meridian.] Everyone who
owns these companies was here to
answer questions and do two-channel
demonstrations. We basically convert
the entire store, we take everything out
of it and make listening rooms that we do
half an hour to an hour demonstrations
in. Again, people can hear a bunch of
world premiere products.
Last year we world premiered the
Sasha, and of most interest to a vinyl
guy, we had one of the coolest things
I’ve ever experienced which was the
Audio Research Reference Phono 2
with the SME 30/2 and a Lyra Olympos.
Serial number 1 Olympos; it belonged
to Allen Perkins. So that was a pretty
neat treat. I don’t think I’ll ever get to
hear an Olympos again!
All these events... I think a lot of retailers
crawled into a shell whereas we’ve
continued to do them because we think
what we do is awesome, and we think
that the more people that are exposed
to it are going to enjoy it and want to be
part of it. So even though these are nonselling events, I think all of them have
a positive impact on our business and
are one of the reasons we’re... we’re
not thriving, but we’re not dying. We’re
working really hard and we think that
once the economy straightens itself
out, we’ll be in an even better position.
How do you decide whether to take
on a new line?
[Laughs] We’re extremely cautious
about it. It’s not because we’re picky—
well, we are picky because what
we represent to our customers is
important—but we look at it from two
perspectives: what can we do for our
manufacturers, and how is it relevant
to solving problems for our customers
or making their lives better or more
exciting.
The easy part is listening: we could say,
“That’s a great sounding preamp”; we
have this to reference it against and
here’s where it stands, what we think
of it. That’s very easy. What’s not very
easy is “What’s going to happen in 20
years?”, because if you have a 20 year
old Audio Research preamp, I want to
make sure I can take care of it for you.
A lot of these manufacturers just aren’t
going to be around. So the test of time
isn’t something that we measure with
our ears, but it is very important for our
clients to have these companies that are
based in reality and their engineering is
solid and all the products they make
are great.
For example, take Ayre Acoustics. It
took us seven years to bring them on.
We eventually landed on Ayre because
of their great sound quality—there’s no
one that listens to Ayre and doesn’t say
there’s something really good going on
here—but what really got us was the
way they take care of their customers.
It took us that long to watch them to
realise that we wanted to forge a long
term relationship with the company,
that takes care of people like we do.
Talking of manufacturers, what are
some of the brands you represent?
In two channel, our big daddies in terms
of electronics are Ayre Acoustics, Audio
Research, and Classé Audio. We’re also
a Linn and Meridian dealer who we feel
very strongly about, maybe in a little
bit of a different way, sort of systems
of their own. Our primary speaker
manufacturers are Wilson Audio, B&W,
and Magnepan. Linn is certainly a big
player, and we’re very excited to have
just brought on PSB and we’re super
excited about their sound quality
at a very affordable price point. For
cables we have Transparent Audio
and Audioquest. As for cartridges, we
sell a lot of Linn cartridges and a lot
of Lyra cartridges. We also do a lot of
business with Benz, some Clearaudio.
The Goldfingers, have you heard one of
those?
I’ve not heard one, but I’ve heard
of them. Actually, thinking about
it, I think I heard one at the Rocky
Mountain Audio Fest.
So with cartridges, it’s whatever is
right for the job. We work on a lot of
record players here. John, the tall
fellow you see there, really knows VPI
and SME. He’s an extremely detailed,
precision orientated kind of guy. We
own a Fozgometer, an oscilloscope,
microscopes; just about any of the
analogue tools you can think of, we
have here in house.
What’s the best demo session you
can remember? And the worst?
One the things that comes immediately
to mind is that I was helping Josh
Clark from Transparent Audio set up
the Sashas for the first time with the
new Audio Research DS450 solid state
amplifier and the Reference 5, and the
aforementioned SME 30/2 with the
Olympos on it. It was a unique set up
of Sashas that I’d never seen—I’ve
been setting up Wilsons for going
on 20 years. Josh—who I think is an
absolutely brilliant guy, I was more his
mule during this process! [laughs]—he
set them up, and that was one of the
most stunning set ups I’ve ever heard.
As for the worst, this happened to me
more than once in my career, especially
early on. Setting up Linn active
systems, I’ve actually hooked up the
midrange and tweeter wrong, and while
demonstrating to a customer his new
speakers, blowing up the tweeters! I
think I’ve done that not once, but twice
in my career! [Laughs] Fortunately I had
no problem fixing the tweeters, but yes,
embarrassingly so, I have done that. If
you’ve seen some of the Linn systems
that have six different sets of drivers and
six amplifier channels on them, it’s not
that difficult to do if you’re not paying
attention. I get pretty excited about hifi and I get to plugging in too quickly,
and that was the result! [Laughs] That
would definitely have to rank up there!
As a specialist audio dealer, you
presumably have access to pretty
much whatever gear you want.
What’s currently in your home
system?
A full blown Linn LP12 turntable and a
Linn active system. Right now I’m using
a Meridian preamp because I have a
dual-purpose system: it’s a theatre and
it’s a sitting room. I’ve always owned
Linn systems for twenty odd years. You
probably picked the most unexciting
guy in the store to ask, ‘cause every
one of them could tell you what I have
in my house! [Laughs] But there’s
some variety now, there’s a Meridian
processor in there right now, but
typically I’ve owned Linn active systems
and vinyl is my primary listening source.
That leads my nicely into my next
question: how much time to you get
to spend listening to music at home,
and what are your favourite records?
I don’t get to spend a ton of time
listening to records at home, but I’m a
child of the 1980s and 1990s. I like Indie
or college rock, and I’ve always been a
big fan of bands like Sonic Youth and
Pavement and I have all their LPs. If
I was forced to pick an LP, I guess it
would be a Yo La Tengo or Sonic Youth
album that I would end up putting on.
Presumably, you’ve become friends
with many of your clients over the
years?
Yes. Many, many of them I would
include amongst my best of friends.
What’s next for Definitive?
I think we’ll continue to do what we’ve
been doing. We think our model of
having a retail showroom with salesmen
with all the resources that a custom
outfit would have is really the way that
is most enjoyable for our clients to buy
hi-fi. We’ll continue to be performance
orientated, I don’t think we’ll ever be
much bigger than we are now. We’re at
a point where we have talent in every
position. We’ll continue to consolidate
that and we’re happy with how our
showroom looks. Growth can happen
within the structure we’ve built and
that’s good.
But we’re not going to change what we
do; none of us could stomach offering
components to you we wouldn’t want to
own ourselves. Hopefully the industry
will follow suit. It’s been a disheartening
Your Montreal
audio video
rendez-vous
March 31*, april 1, 2, 3, 2011
hilton Bonaventure hotel
* trade onlY daY
Get connected
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few years with some of our
manufacturers having gone
out of business, some of
the products that we’ve had
for years and years are not
exclusive to us any longer,
so hopefully more people
will look at it like Sandy
Gross is looking at it: I want
to do business with these
little guys who take care of
people.
It’s really heartening hearing
people say the same things
we’ve been saying for years.
We do think that people
won’t buy this stuff unless
they can hear it and touch
it and see it. You can’t sell
Audio Research without
people... I don’t covet things
that I can’t see or can’t hear
or can’t touch! Hopefully,
the model we’ve got will be
viral, that people will believe
that it’s the right way to buy
things.
Contact Information
Admission
exhibiTion siTe
Regular $15
students $10
seniors
$10
hilton bonaventure hotel
900, de la Gauchetière West
montreal (Qc) h5A 1e4
schedule
inFoRmATion
Thursday
Friday
saturday
sunday
11
11
10
10
a.m.
a.m.
a.m.
a.m.
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6
9
6
5
p.m.
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p.m.
(450) 441-5989
[email protected]
www.salonsonimage.com
Definitive Audio
6206 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle
WA 98115
(206) 524-6633
www.definitive.com
Annie’s Audio Adventures
Van den Hul MC Silver Interconnects
By Annie St. Jean
T
he problem with these reviews is
that I fall in love, again, just about
every month! Fortunately, hubby
doesn’t mind, because I’m only in love
with more audio stuff! So this month,
hubby borrowed some more cables for
me to listen to. Cables. Again! I thought
I was done after the purple Nordost
Frey ones! Now, he brings me some
happy partners for them!
So let’s start with the box: no plastic!
It’s made out of wood, and it’s pretty!
The environmentalist in me is already
happy! Then, there’s the fact that they
are made in Europe, so I believe the
people who work at making them have
a nice life. Then there’s the writing on
the box. Kind of classic, kind of old
fashioned barber shop ads-looking.
The kind of writing you see on The
Vinyl Café CDs, you know, Dave and
Morley from CBC. I forgot, you are in
cyberspace, maybe somewhere far, far,
away… Worth opening, I think.
So hubby plugs the wires in between
the preamp and the amps of our friend’s
Marantz system (I’m soooooooo happy
his renovations are taking longer than
planned and that we’re still baby sitting!).
The purple Freys are still connecting the
CD player to the pre amp. Ç’est l’amour!
They really complete them beautifully!
Clarity without loss of depth, details like
I hadn’t heard yet. The Marantz is still
set on Filter 2, my personal favourite
because it keeps everything warm, full
and round. So here I go for another fun
session of listening to my staple songs.
Love at first hear. Again! Why do cables
have to make such a big difference???
The other problem with writing these
reviews, is that my real job doesn’t
allow me to be able to afford all this
awesome equipment! At over $3,000
for a pair of interconnects, I need to win
the lottery soon! See, aren’t you happy
the woman in your life likes shopping
for shoes instead! Oh well! A few hours
of pure bliss are definitely better than
nothing!
The verdict? Well, you guessed it: I love
them! I just wish I could listen to them
on the Marantz with a turntable!
Can I ask you a favour? Someone who
is close to us at the magazine recently
lost his wife to cancer. Yeah, the damn
C-word. So, wherever you may be in
cyber space, could you please take
a moment, the next time you listen to
good music, and send a bit of positive
energy to our friend C.? Thank you ever
so much!
Happy listening!
Product Details
Van den Hul MC Silver IT MK III
Balanced interconnects
Price CAD $3,799 for 1.2m
Bluebird Music
120 Wicksteed Avenue, Unit B-1001
Toronto
ON M4G 2G7
Canada
(416) 638-8207
www.bluebirdmusic.com
Simaudio Moon 310LP
Phono Stage
By Rich Teer
C
anadian audio manufacturer,
Simaudio, hardly needs an
introduction as they’ve been
part of the high-end audio scene for
more than three decades. They offer
numerous products in two ranges
(the cost-no-object Moon Evolution
Series, and the more affordable Moon
Series), including integrated amplifiers,
pre- and power amplifiers, DACs,
transports, and phono stages. All of
Simaudio’s products are designed and
manufactured in-house.
There are two phono stages in
Simaudio’s current product line up:
the Moon 310LP, and its little sibling,
the Moon 110LP. An optional external
power supply, designated the Moon
320S, can be used with the 310LP. The
320S is an option that the user may
either purchase at the same time as
the 310LP, or at a later date. I think this
is a good idea in principle, because it
allows users to upgrade more easily as
funds allow.
I requested a sample of the 310LP and
the 320S and evaluated the 310LP both
with and without the 320S.
Technical Description
The Moon 310LP is a relatively compact
solid state phono stage. Replacing the
previous generation’s Moon LP5.3,
the 310LP has one pair of single-end
inputs, a pair of single-ended outputs,
and a pair of balanced outputs. It has
user-selectable gain, input resistance
loading, and input capacitance loading.
Unusually for a phono stage in this
price range, the 310LP also has userselectable equalisation curves: both
RIAA and IEC are available (above 20
Hz the curves are the same, but the IEC
curve specifies a subsonic filter below
that frequency).
The rear panel contains the signal input
and output sockets (all of which are
gold plated), a gold plated grounding
post, an IEC mains socket, and a fourpin XLR socket to which the umbilical
cord from the optional external power
supply is attached. By fitting an IEC
socket (rather than using a captive
cable), Simaudio gives 310LP owners
the ability to use after market AC
cables should they desire to do so.
The 310LP is intended to be
permanently powered, so
there is no main power
switch.
sets of jumpers for each channel. It is
these jumpers that enable the user to
select the gain, the equalisation curve,
the load capacitance, and the load
resistance. A larger set of gold-plated
jumpers are used to select between the
internal power supply and the optional
external one. The 320LP ships with the
jumpers selecting the internal power
supply, so they must be changed
before connecting the 320S. One minor
The
front
panel, which is
made from a 9
mm thick sheet
of
machined
aluminum,
is
available
in
either a silver or
black anodised
finish. It houses
the blue LED
power indicator.
Inside, there are two
circuit
boards: one for the phono stage
electronics, and the other for the
isolated power supply. The latter
uses an ultra low noise toroidal
transformer and boasts a reasonably
generous 14,000 µF of capacitance.
The phono stage circuitry uses high
quality components in a dual-mono
configuration, and features several
criticism I’d like to mention at this
juncture is this: the jumpers used to
select the gain etc. are not gold plated.
I’d like to see this addressed because
the jumpers are right in the very
sensitive signal path, and gold plated
jumpers would be less susceptible to
corrosion. (Simaudio informs me that
the jumpers are made from a highly
conductive non-corrosive alloy, so
my—admittedly small—reservations in
this respect might be unfounded.)
The Moon 320S is the 320LP’s optional
dedicated external power supply. It is
housed in a chassis identical to the
one used for the 310LP, except for the
rear panel connections. The 320S’ rear
panel contains an IEC mains socket,
a four-pin XLR socket to which the
umbilical cord connecting the 320S to
its accompanying 310LP
is attached, and the main
power switch (even
though Simaudio
recommends
leaving the 320S
powered semipermanently).
Inside the power
supply’s case
we find more
high
quality
components,
including
a
larger ultra low
noise
toroidal
transformer, a pair
of 200 mH chokes, and a total of more
than 35,000 µF of capacitance.
Setup and Listening
As mentioned previously in the
technical description, the Moon 310LP
has user-adjustable settings for gain,
load capacitance, and load resistance.
After some experimentation, I decided
to use the maximum gain (66 dB in my
single-ended system), and values of 0
pF and 100 Ω for the load capacitance
and resistance respectively.
For best performance, Simaudio
recommend leaving the 310LP powered
up at all times (unless one is going away
for an extended period). I followed this
advice, so the 310LP was powered
up for nearly the entire review period.
After several dozen hours of informal
listening, I started my formal evaluation:
first with the Moon 310LP on its own,
and then later with in conjunction with
the Moon 320S power supply.
One of the first things I noticed about
the 310LP was its very strong bass
performance—so much so that I not
entirely convinced that it doesn’t
emphasise the lower bass just a
touch. I’m not talking about the awful,
overblown, one-note bass that afflicts
those car boom boxes that plague many
a suburban setting (why so many people
with such equipment feel the need to
inflict their questionable musical taste
on the rest of us by playing it at earshatteringly loud volumes is beyond
me). The effect I’m describing is much
more subtle than that.
I also wouldn’t describe it as a gross
colouration. In fact, the more I think
about it, the less I think that I’m hearing
a problem and the more convinced I am
that what I hear is a testimony of the
310LP’s wide bandwidth design and
(perhaps) the better cartridge loading
100 Ω provides for the Lyra Parnassus.
Two tracks which really illustrate
what I’m talking about are Who Were
You Talking To (from South African
a cappella group Ladymith Black
Mambazo’s 1987 album, Shaka Zulu
[WEA 925 582-1]) and The Great Gate
of Kiev from Mussorgsky’s Pictures
at an Exhibition (specifically, the
version on The Power of the Orchestra
[Analogue Productions AAPC 265945]). In the former, the group members
stomp their feet towards the end of the
song. In addition to the initial stomp,
the reverberation from the hall can be
heard and felt. This effect is even more
pronounced in the latter track, where
a bass drum is periodically thwacked.
Not only can the initial boom be heard
and felt, but the sense of space and
movement of air engendered by the
hall’s acoustics is also very satisfyingly
reproduced.
The
Moon
310LP’s
midrange
reproduction also doesn’t disappoint.
Although it is perhaps a touch on the
dark side, male voices (like those
from Ladysmith Black Mambazo) are
well portrayed, and do not suffer from
any chestiness. Female voices, for
example, Dusty Springfield’s rendition
of The Look of Love from the Casino
Royale OST [Colgems COSO 5005-45],
are also beautiful.
Another example of how well the 310LP
fares with the mids and highs is the
celeste from the second movement of
Fritz Reiner’s reading of Prokofiev’s Lt.
Kije [Classic Records/RCA Victor LSC2150]. The sound the hammer makes
as it strikes the metal plates is clearly
discernible. With lesser phono stages,
the initial hammer strike tend to be lost
in the ensuing chime. As good as it is,
the 310LP’s treble doesn’t have quite
the sparkle and air of the very best
phono stages, but I consider this to
be a relatively minor shortcoming. The
bells and piano from opening minutes
of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells [Virgin
Records V2001] illustrate this quite well.
The 310LP handles dynamic contrasts
very well. The finale of the first part
of Tubular Bells gets very busy, but
the 310LP manages to keep up just
fine: there’s no congestion here. Even
though a lot is going on, it is easy to
follow the individual instruments.
When it comes to revealing little details
buried in the mix, the 310LP does a
very good, but not spectacular, job.
Compared to the (admittedly much
more expensive) reference level phono
stage I had on hand, some grit and
grain hides some fine details. The effect
is pretty subtle, fortunately, so I don’t
consider this to be a major fault.
Imaging was, on the whole, pretty good,
but not a razor sharp as it could be. For
example, the arch of the members of
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was a little
diffuse, making it a bit difficult to place
the individual singers. The same applies
to Tubular Bells’ Nasal Choir: although
the members weren’t congealed into
one big homogenous image (a good
thing), their individual positions were
hard to pin down exactly.
Related to imaging is the soundstage,
which
the
310LP
supplies
in
abundance. The soundstage is wide
and deep (although I have heard wider
and deeper in my system), extending
beyond the edges of my speakers.
The preceding description applies to
the 310LP without the optional Moon
320S external power supply; adding
the 320S catapults the 310LP’s already
good performance onto an even higher
level. When the 310LP is used with the
320S power supply, grain is reduced
(enabling fine details to be more clearly
heard), transients are better defined,
and harmonic overtones are improved
(for example, the glockenspiel in
Tubular Bells). There is slightly more
air around instruments, and image
specificity is also improved somewhat.
As one would expect, noise is reduced:
what was a very quiet phono stage is
rendered even quieter by the addition
of the 320S.
Verdict
The Moon 310LP is a very good phono
stage. With one or two relatively minor
reservations, it has a strong audio
performance and is well built. Fit and
finish are very fine, and the ability to
adjust the gain, load capacitance and
resistance, and the equalisation curve
is very welcome and makes for a very
flexible phono stage. It would have
been nice if the adjustable parameters
could be changed without opening
the case, but the additional front
panel switches would have added
substantially to the parts cost, so it is
an understandable decision (especially
when one considers how infrequently
most users would want to fiddle with
these adjustments).
As good as it is on its own, adding the
Moon 320S power supply improves
the performance quite substantially.
The fact that the 320S can be added
so easily by the end user means that
the cost of the two units can be spread
out over time, making them more
accessible.
With good sound quality and
adjustability that’s almost unheard of at
this price point, I highly recommend a
personal audition of the 310LP if you’re
in the market for a new phono stage.
The 320S is also highly recommended.
The great thing is that because you can
add the latter at a later date, if the choice
is “cheaper cartridge plus the 310LP
+ 320S combo” or “more expensive
cartridge plus just the 310LP”, I’d be
more inclined to go the second route
with the proviso that a 320S would be
next on my shopping list. If you already
have a great cartridge (and funds
permit), then buying the 310LP and
320S together would make more sense.
Specifications
Associated Equipment
Description Solid state phono stage with optional external
power supply.
Frequency response 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB.
Crosstalk -100 dB (1k Hz).
Gain 40, 54, 60, and 66 dB (single-ended outputs); 46, 60, 66,
and 72 dB (balanced outputs).
Distortion < 0.001% THD (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz).
Input impedance 47, 100, 470, 1k, and 47k Ω.
Input capacitance 0, 100, and 470 pF.
Output impedance 50 Ω (single-ended), 100 Ω (balanced).
Phono equalisation RIAA and IEC.
Maximum input voltage (@ 40 dB gain) 58 mV RMS.
Signal to noise ratio (@ 40 dB gain) 110 dB, 114 dB with 320S.
Signal to noise ratio (@ 66 dB gain) 88 dB, 92 dB with 320S.
Dimensions (hwd) 80 mm x 190 mm x 285 mm.
Weight 3 kg (310LP), 3.5 kg (320S).
Finishes Silver and black anodised aluminum.
Serial number of units reviewed L579998 (310LP), L5510074
(320S).
Price $1,800 (310LP), $1,400 (320S).
Warranty One year non-transferable (ten years with
registration).
Analogue source Forsell Air Reference Mk 2 turntable and
arm.
Phono cartridge Lyra Parnassus.
Phono stage Allnic Audio Labs H-3000.
Preamps Allnic Audio Labs L-3000, Audio Research SP-9 Mk
2.
Power amplifiers Allnic Audio Labs M-3000s, PrimaLuna
ProLogue Sevens.
Speakers MartinLogan Spire.
Cables Phono: Nordost Frey. Interconnects: Nordost Frey.
Speaker: Nordost Frey. AC: stock.
Accessories Target and SolidSteel equipment stands; Mission
Isoplat; Furman Elite 15-PFi power conditioner; Audio Physic
cartridge demagnetiser; Acoustech carbon fibre brush; Last
record and stylus cleaning products; The Cartridge Man stylus
tracking force gauge.
Simaudio
1345 Newton Road
Boucherville, QC J4B 5H2
Canada
(450) 449-2212
www.simaudio.com
Spin Clean Mk 2
Record Cleaning Machine
By Rich Teer
I
have a small confession to make:
despite being a music lover all my life
with vinyl being my medium of choice,
I have never owned a record cleaning
machine. The first machines I heard
of—one of the Nitty Gritties if memory
serves, or maybe it was the Keith Monks
one—were beyond my financial means
in those days, and the thought of hand
washing my
precious
vinyl
g a v e
me the
willies (to be totally honest, it still does)!
So, with the exception of a flirtation with
Last Record Preserver, I have never
washed my records. I am, however,
extremely fastidious with them: I never
touch the playing surfaces (handling
the record by the label and edge only), I
always keep them in anti-static sleeves,
and I never lend them to anyone.
When I buy used records, I give them
a thorough examination to make sure
they’re in good condition (or at least,
visibly clean).
In the
last year or so I
s t a r t e d
hearing
about more
affordable
alternatives
to
the
vacuum record cleaning machines,
and at last year’s RMAF I met Mark
Mawhinney, Spin Clean International’s
head honcho. Spin Clean has been
making record cleaning machines
since 1975; when I heard that the base
package (consisting of the cleaning
machine itself, a pair of brushes, a pair
of rollers, two washable drying cloths,
and a 4 oz bottle of cleaning fluid)
retailed for a very reasonable $80, I
had to give the Spin Clean a, err, spin.
A month or two later, Mawhinney sent
me a package containing the complete
Spin Clean Record Washer system.
In addition to the base package, the
complete system also comes with a 32
oz bottle of cleaning fluid, an extra pair
of brushes, and five extra drying cloths.
The complete system costs $125, a
saving of $25 compared to buying the
items separately.
The Spin Clean Record Washer is
a deceptively simple contraption
consisting of a bright yellow plastic
washer basin and lid (as well as
screaming “Look at me!”, the yellow
case was chosen so that dirt and debris
from the records being cleaned would
show up more clearly, enabling one to
better judge when to change the fluid).
In the base are a pair of slots for the
felt cleaning brushes, and three pairs of
slots for the rollers. The outermost pair
of slots is used when cleaning 12” LPs
and singles, the middle pair are used
when cleaning 10” records (be they 10”
singles, EPs, or 78 RPM discs), and the
innermost pair are used when cleaning
7” singles.
The rollers are made from plastic with
a rubber ring around the centre to
provide a better grip on the records
being cleaned. The two brushes are
covered with felt; because there are two
of them, both sides of the record are
cleaned simultaneously. Replacement
parts and extra bottles of cleaning fluid
are available from Spin Clean.
A year or two ago, the Mark 2 version
of the Spin Clean was released. This
review is of the Mk 2, and there are
several differences between it and the
original: the basin and lid are stronger
and UV resistant; the rollers have been
totally redesigned; the brush foam and
fabric are improved; the unit has new
feet; there’s a new owner’s manual;
there are new drying cloths; and
finally, the cleaning solution has been
improved.
Setup and Listening
I set up the Spin Clean on a towelcovered table, filled the base up to the
line with distilled water (the manual
states that tap water can be used, but I
advise against it; water that’s perfectly
fine to drink may contain dissolved
solids that you don’t want anywhere
near your precious vinyl!), and poured
three capfuls of the cleaning fluid over
the brushes. I selected a few records to
test (at least one of each size). In each
case I cleaned the record with a carbon
fibre brush and played it before cleaning
it in the Spin Clean. After cleaning the
record I visually inspected it and then
re-played it to compare the before and
after sound quality.
The cleaning process is simple, if a little
tedious after a while: place the record
between the two brushes (after putting
the rollers in the correct place, of course!)
and rotate it clockwise for three or so
revolutions; rotate it anti-clockwise for
another three or revolutions; carefully
remove the record from the cleaner,
letting excess water drip back into the
base; and very carefully dry the record
using one of the towels. Once the record
is dry, place it back into its sleeve, or
if it’s a new record, replace the sleeve
with an anti-static one. At all times,
touch only the record’s label and outer
edge (especially when rotating it in the
Spin Clean: use your palms rather than
your fingers). Do not touch the playing
surfaces, even the lead-in groove!
Spin Clean suggest that one can clean
as many as 50 records with one batch
of solution. I recommended changing
the fluid more frequently than that, say
every 20 to 30 records, depending on
how dirty they are. If the water looks
dirty at any time, it’s time to change it!
So far so good, but how well does the
Spin Clean actually work? To get right
to the point, it works very well! Even
records that looked pretty clean to the naked eye looked
noticeably cleaner after their Spin Clean bath. The effect was
even more dramatic on old, not-so-pristine used records:
finger prints and smudges left by previous careless owners
were removed without a trace!
I could go on for paragraph after paragraph extolling the Spin
Clean’s virtues, but I think photographs will do the job far more
eloquently than I. Here are a few “before and after” pictures.
The first pair is from an old second hand 7” single, the second
pair is from an old second hand LP, and the final pair is from a
brand new LP I’ve owned for just a few weeks.
Example 1: pre-owned 7” single, before cleaning.
Example 1: pre-owned 7” single, after cleaning.
In this first example, the record’s surface is filthy, looking like
a rock-littered moonscape (the red mark is a contaminant
impregnated in the vinyl; fortunately it doesn’t effect the
playback). Remember, I took the “before” photos after cleaning
the record with an anti-static brush and playing it. The picture
on the right, taken after a Spin Clean cleaning session speaks
for itself. Although the impregnated red stuff is still there,
the record’s surface is much cleaner. Upon re-playing it, the
record was noticeably quieter too. Prior to cleaning the record
sounded like (if you’ll excuse the British metaphor) a chip
shop frier, with many tics and pops—exactly the sort of crap
that vinyl neophytes have been taught to expect from vinyl.
After cleaning, the crackling of the chip shop frier was all but
gone, as were most (like, 80% to 90%) of the tics and pops.
Unfortunately, this record suffers some groove damage due to
the abuse it suffered from its previous owners. No amount of
cleaning will help here!
Example 2: pre-owned LP, before cleaning.
Example 2: pre-owned LP, after cleaning.
This second example is also littered with dust boulders, but
the record also has a big smear that looks like a scuff mark.
A few minutes later, after a dip in the Spin Clean, the same
section of the record is unrecognisable! The scuff-like smear
is all but gone, as is the dust debris field.
Example 3: new LP, before cleaning.
Example 3: new LP, after cleaning.
As you can see from the final set of pictures, even a brand new
record from a well-known audiophile label isn’t completely
dust free and benefits from a cleaning session in the Spin
Clean.
Apart from the quieter surfaces and
blacker backgrounds, I couldn’t
really detect any change in the sound
quality of cleaned records compared
to uncleaned ones. That said, the
reduction of surface noise etc. is a
welcome improvement! (Most of my
records are free from tics and pops,
but a reduction in surface noise—even
when one’s records are virtually silent
anyway—is always welcome.)
Verdict
Being a manual cleaner, the Spin Clean
has the advantage of silent operation,
and zero power use. The flip side to
this is that cleaning more than a dozen
or so records at one time gets old very
quickly, and drying my records by
hand makes me a little nervous. These
caveats notwithstanding, the important
question is “Does the Spin Clean
Record Washer work?”, and the answer
to that is easy: as the preceding photos
show, the Spin Clean not only works,
it works very well. I don’t doubt that a
vacuum record cleaning machine would
be less tedious and more efficacious,
but the cost difference (at least several
hundred dollars) is considerable.
Specifications
Description Manual record cleaning
machine.
Supported record sizes 7”, 10”, and
12”.
Dimensions (hwd) 138 mm x 370 mm x
154 mm.
Weight 720 g.
Finishes Yellow plastic.
Serial number of unit reviewed N/A.
Price $80 (base package), $125
(complete system).
Warranty Limited lifetime transferable.
Analogue source Forsell Air Reference
Mk 2 turntable and arm.
Preamps Allnic Audio Labs L-3000,
Audio Research SP-9 Mk 2.
Power amplifiers Allnic Audio Labs
M-3000s, PrimaLuna ProLogue Sevens.
Cables
Phono:
Nordost
Frey.
Interconnects: Nordost Frey. Speaker:
Nordost Frey. AC: stock.
Accessories Target and SolidSteel
equipment stands; Mission Isoplat;
Furman Elite 15-PFi power conditioner;
Audio Physic cartridge demagnetiser;
Acoustech carbon fibre brush; Last
record and stylus cleaning products;
The Cartridge Man stylus tracking force
gauge.
Spin Clean International
PO Box 15200
Pittsburgh PA 15237-0200
USA
(800) 931-5850
www.spincleanrecordwasher.com
The bottom line is this: the Spin Clean
Record Washer easily earns my highest
recommendation. If you have any
number of records and can’t justify
the not insignificant price jump for a
vacuum record cleaning machine, you
need one of these.
NAD PP 3i
Phono Stage
By Rich Teer
N
AD has been associated with
inexpensive, high-value audio
electronics for about as long as
I can remember (their 3120 integrated
amp was a staple component of many
recommended
budget
systems back in the
late 1980s). A
notch or two
above
the
mass-market
dreck
most
consumers
are subjected
to in the big
box
stores,
NAD is, in my
opinion, one of
the epitomes of entrylevel high-end. That is, their gear is
designed—albeit to a budget—with
audio performance a priority, and
priced so as not to induce sticker shock
in potential buyers.
NAD sell two phono stages: the PP 2i
and the more expensive PP 3i (in both
cases, the “i” means improved); it is the
latter that is the subject of this review.
The two phono stages are essentially
the same, except the PP 3i features an
on-board analogue to digital converter
(ADC) and a USB interface.
The PP 3i is a diminutive solid state
phono stage. The PP 3i has three
pairs of single-end inputs (one for MM
cartridges, one for MC cartridges, and
another for line level sources), and a
pair of single-ended outputs. The PP 3i
also contains a built-in ADC, enabling
one to make digital recordings of one’s
records. (I despise the term “needledrop”
because
it
promulgates
the use of the
archaic
term
“needle” rather
than the correct
one,
which
is
“stylus”.
Needles are an
anachronism
left over from the
time of the wind
up
gramophones,
and have no place in
modern record playing!)
The rear panel contains the signal
input and output sockets (all of which
are gold plated, a pleasant surprise at
this price level), a grounding post, pair
of switches, and a miniature socket
into which the cable from the external
power supply is plugged. The PP 3i’s
consumption is very small and it is
intended to be left turned on semipermanently; there is therefore no
power switch. One of the two switches
enables the user to select between MM
and MC cartridges; the other selects
either the phono input or the line input.
The front panel is utilitarian, housing
just a Type B USB socket and a pair
of LEDs: a green one to indicate that
power is applied, and an amber one
indicating that the USB interface is
powered (by the external device to
which it is connected).
The case is
made
from
black-painted
folded
steel.
Fit and finish
are
good.
The
external
power supply
is of “wall wart”
variety. I’m not a
fan of wall warts,
but I can understand
why NAD chose to use one here. It
keeps the noisy power source away
from the sensitive electronics in an
economical and space-saving manner.
As mentioned previously, the PP 3i is
also an ADC. The audio signal is sampled
and output as 16-bit linear PCM at 48
kHz via the USB port; I did not test this
aspect of the PP 3i’s performance. The
PP 3i is supplied with a CD containing
a copy of AlpineSoft’s VinylStudio Lite
to facilitate digitising one’s records.
Unfortunately, it is supplied on a mini
CD, which doesn’t work with slot fed
drives. The good news is that one
can download the software—which is
available for Mac OS X and Windows—
for free from AlpineSoft’s web site,
www.alpinesoft.co.uk.
Setup and Listening
Setting up the PP 3i was a breeze: I
set the input switch to Phono, selected
MC operation, connected the audio
leads, and powered it up (I left the PP
3i powered for the entire evaluation
period). As usual, after several dozen
hours of burn in time and informal
listening, I started my formal evaluation.
I should warn you that what you’re
about to read may sound overly critical,
but that isn’t my intent. My job is to
describe what I hear, so it should come
as no surprise that a review of a $200
phono stage isn’t as effusive as one of
a $2,000 phono stage.
OK, with the caveats out of the way,
here’s what I heard when I listened to
the PP 3i in my system.
The first thing I noticed with the PP
3i was that of a rolled off treble. This,
together with the poor resolution of fine
details—details which I know are on the
record—gives the impression of a cloth
sack being placed over the speakers.
For an example of this, consider the
glockenspiel
in
Mike Oldfield’s
Tubular
Bells
[Virgin Records
V2001].
With
more expensive
phono stages,
not only is the
transient “ding”
clearly audible,
but the resonant
overtones of the
metal plates are
faithfully reproduced.
With the PP 3i, the initial ding is there,
but many of the metal plates’ overtones
are diminished or missing.
Somewhat related to the mids and
higher frequencies, the PP 3i has a slight
tendency to exaggerate sibilances. The
first few lines of Will You? from Hazel
O’Connor’s Breaking Glass OST [A&M
Records AMLH 64820] are a good
example of this. (Actually this particular
track is a good sibilance test, period.)
The news is a bit better
with bass reproduction:
although it doesn’t go
particularly deep, the PP
3i’s bass reasonably tuneful
and rhythmic. It is not
bloated, nor does it suffer
from “onenoteitis” (a term I
like to use to describe the
condition where most bass
notes sound the same,
regardless of their actual
intended frequency). The
problems I hear with the
PP 3i’s are best described
as errors of omission
rather than commission;
the former being the lesser
of the two evils. It is nearly
always better to have more
tuneful bass of limited
extension than it is to have
subterranean bass that is
poorly defined and bloated.
Another area I found the PP 3i
to be wanting was dynamics,
which are quite constrained
and compressed. Take, for
example, the bass drum
whacks in The Great Gate
of Kiev from Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition on
The Power of the Orchestra
[Analogue
Productions
AAPC 2659-45]). Although
the drum can be heard, the
sense of air being moved is
missing. Similarly, the foot
stomping parts in Ladysmith
Black Mambazo’s Who Were You
Talking To (from Shaka Zulu [WEA 925
582-1]) are audible, but lack dynamic
impact. In fact, they almost sound like
hand claps rather than foot stomps.
Finally, we come to imaging and
soundstage size. While not vast, the
image size presented by the PP 3i was
pretty good, if somewhat flat. It (just)
extended beyond my speakers, but had
very little depth: the image was very
two dimensional so hall acoustics (for
example) aren’t very well reproduced.
Image specificity was fine for simpler
pieces of music, but loses precision
in more complex works (for example,
the Nasal Chorus bit in Tubular Bells)
such that separate instruments and
voices are presented as a homogenous
lump, rather than a group of distinct
individuals.
Verdict
Upon reading my description of the PP
3i’s sound quality, it may appear that I’m
slamming it, but I’m not. Yes, the PP 3i
has several serious shortcomings in its
audio performance, but let’s not forget
that this is a $200 phono stage. (If this
was a review of a $2,000 stage then yes,
it could be considered a slam.) I’m not
very familiar (yet) with the entry-level
phono stage market, so I don’t know
if the PP 3i’s performance is typical for
this price bracket or atypical. But given
NAD’s justifiably good reputation, I’m
prepared to give them the benefit of
the doubt and assume that the PP 3i’s
performance is typical of $200 phono
stages.
Let’s also not forget the context in
which the PP 3i will most likely be
used. I evaluated it in a high resolution
system, one that ruthlessly exposes
shortcomings in the gear I listen to.
What’s more likely in practise is that the
PP 3i will be used in a system that has
less resolving power than mine, where
the other components are likely to have
their own serious sonic flaws. It could
also be that my Lyra Parnassus and the
PP 3i are a poor match.
On the positive side, the PP 3i is well
made and has a very useful feature
set. Not only does the inclusion of an
ADC allow one to make copies of one’s
records for mobile or music server use,
it also (somewhat unusually for a phono
stage at this price point) has an MCcapable input. The latter helps protect
the end user’s investment should they
desire to upgrade to an MC cartridge
because they can still use their current
phono stage. With all this in mind, I’d
say that the PP 3i is at least worth
considering if you’re in the market for
an entry-level phono stage, especially if
making digital copies of your records is
of interest.
Specifications
Description Solid state phono stage with external power
supply.
Frequency response RIAA ±0.3 dB.
Gain 35 dB (MM); 58 dB (MC).
Distortion < 0.03% THD (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz).
Input impedance 47k Ω (MM), 100 Ω (MC).
Input capacitance 200 pF (MM), 180 pF (MC).
Phono equalisation RIAA.
Maximum input voltage (@ 1 kHz) 100 mV RMS (MM), 6.5 mV
RMS (MC).
Signal to noise ratio 76 dB (MM), 78 dB (MC).
Dimensions (hwd) 43 mm x 135 mm x 72 mm.
Weight 400 g.
Finish Black painted steel.
Serial number of unit reviewed H07PP3IG15525.
Price $199.
Warranty Two years non-transferable.
Analogue source Forsell Air Reference Mk 2 turntable and
arm.
Preamps Allnic Audio Labs L-3000, Audio Research SP-9 Mk
2.
Power amplifiers Allnic Audio Labs M-3000s, PrimaLuna
ProLogue Sevens.
Cables Phono: Nordost Frey. Interconnects: Nordost Frey.
Speaker: Nordost Frey. AC: stock.
Accessories Target and SolidSteel equipment stands; Mission
Isoplat; Furman Elite 15-PFi power conditioner; Audio Physic
cartridge demagnetiser; Acoustech carbon fibre brush; Last
record and stylus cleaning products; The Cartridge Man stylus
tracking force gauge.
NAD Electronics
633 Granite Court
Pickering, ON L1W 3K1
Canada
(905) 831-6555
www.nadelectronics.com
Record Reviews
By Vinylphile Staff
a more country folk, folk ballad, and
gospel influenced effort. None of which
is surprising considering how and where
John and producer/performer T-Bone
Burnett wanted the album created.
John Mellencamp
No Better Than This
Rounder Records (two 33-RPM 180g
LPs)
11661-3284-1
John Mellencamp was born on October
7, 1951 in Seymour, IN, and the release
of this recording represents his 25th
album. Previously known as Johnny
Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar
Mellencamp, this prolific recording artist
and painter is also one of the founding
members of Farm-Aid (Willie Nelson
and Neil Young are the others). He has
scored dozens of hits over the course
of his career, and is mostly known for
his heartland rock sound and style. He
turns away from that somewhat with
this release, as I thought it represented
No Better Than This was recorded in
mono using a 1955 Ampex 601 1/4”
reel to reel recorder and a single
RCA microphone (see LP liner notes
for details). The album was recorded
in various locations of historic musical
significance, such as Room 414 of
the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX,
where the legendary Robert Johnson
first recorded. The other two locations
were the First African Baptist Church
in Savannah, Georgia, and the studio
in Memphis where Sam Phillips first
recorded Elvis Presley. It was also the
first mono recording to hit the Top 10
since James Brown’s Pure Dynamite!
Live At The Royal in April of 1964.
The album has received a significant
amount of critical acclaim, and if you’re
a Mellencamp fan, this most definitely
should be in your collection.
Admittedly, I am not very familiar with
mono recordings and what they are
supposed to sound like, but this album
gave me a feeling of Mellencamp
playing right in front of me. It had a really
live feel to it that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There isn’t any soundstage to speak of,
but the imaging (depth and placement)
were clearly evident and very well done.
If this is what mono is supposed to
sound like, then I’m all for encouraging
artists to try it. The writing is, as usual,
a strong part of Mellencamp’s appeal
and there are some beauties on here.
Love At First Sight is a wonderful ballad
about love and separation, and John’s
raspy voice (I can hear Bob Dylan) is
perfectly suited for it.
Rounder Records has created a
wonderfully clean, clear, and quiet
product considering this is not an
audiophile pressing. The outside edge
of the LP is a little rough and almost
has a square edge to it, as opposed
to being rounded. It doesn’t have any
effect on the recording, but more care
in manufacturing would have been
appreciated. The gatefold cover is
outstanding with its matte finish, and
the liner notes get an A+ for going back
to days of yore, when details such as
lyrics, contributing artists, locations,
mastering, engineering and other
credits abounded.
In summary, I liked this
record quite a bit, and I truly
enjoyed its mono sound and
live feel. It may not be an
album that I’ll cue up weekly,
but it has honestly earned
a place in my collection. I
applaud John Mellencamp
and T-Bone Burnett for
following their dream in
wanting to create something
out of the mainstream. Well
done! John Adrian Spijkers
nice and flat. I’m not sure whether the
album was pressed on 180g vinyl (my
guess is nearer 160g), but the important
thing is that the surfaces are quiet.
Margaret Noble
Frakture
Self-published (33-RPM LP)
I recently received a copy of San Diego
based musician (or as she prefers,
sound artist), Margaret Noble’s, latest
album, Frakture. Inspired by 1984,
George Orwell’s classic novel about a
society controlled through surveillance,
censorship, infringement of civil
liberties, and violence in the name of
security. (One might argue that with
political correctness being taken to
ridiculous extremes, TSA screening
abuses in an effort to put on a show
about airport security, and so on that
Orwell wasn’t too far off the mark...)
Containing eight tracks, the album,
which is thoughtful and somewhat
industrial in nature, uses analogue
synthesizers, acoustic drums, and
numerous samples (including excerpts
from 1984) to paint its sonic canvas.
I’ve nothing negative to say about the
sound quality, nor the pressing which is
The packaging is a nice heavy
cardboard sleeve (although it is a little
tight; another millimetre or two on
each side would help in the removal
and replacement of the record), and
for extra value purchasers of the vinyl
record get instant access to a free
digital download (in multiple formats) of
the album.
This is a good album from an
independent artist (and I’m all for
supporting independent artists), so I
strongly encourage you to buy a copy
of Frakture—but hurry because only
300 copies will be pressed on vinyl!
Incidentally, all proceeds from the sale
of this record will be donated to Amnesty
International, so there’s another good
reason to buy it. Rich Teer
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
Jive Records (33-RPM LP)
HOP 201
A Flock of Seagulls was (and technically
still are, albeit with a very low profile
and only one original band member
still in the line up) a British synthpop
band from the early 1980s, and this is
their eponymously-title debut LP (they
had previously released an EP called
Modern Love is Automatic).
Originally released in 1982, A Flock of
Seagulls contains 11 tracks, including
the four singles I Ran (So Far Away),
Telecommunication, Modern Love
is Automatic, and D.N.A. The group
won a Grammy award for Best Rock
Instrumental Performance in 1983 for
the latter, while the former was the
album’s biggest seller.
The sound quality is typical for the era:
nothing special, but not too bad either.
As for the music, I have to be honest
and come clean: I love all synthpop
stuff! If you find a clean copy, give it a
spin! RT
of this album, released through Direct
Disk Labs; alas, it is the shorter rendition
that is on this version of the album.
The sound quality is as good as one
would expect, i.e., very good. Pressed
on Classic Records’ Clarity vinyl, the
single-sided records are pancake flat
with silent surfaces. The music is great
too!
Peter Gabriel
1
Classic Records/Real World Records
(four single-sided 45-RPM 200g LPs)
PG 1-45
Originally released in 1977, this is Peter
Gabriel’s first solo studio album. The
first four Gabriel albums were simply
titled Peter Gabriel, so this one is often
referred to as Car or (less often) Rain
after the raindrop-covered car pictured
on the cover. The album is most famous
for the single, Solsbury Hill, a song
which describes Gabriel’s departure
from progressive rock band, Genesis.
Packaged in the usual Clarity style,
a heavy duty box with the contents
protected by bubble wrap, this is a
record that you should try to get your
hands on (these Clarity records are
becoming increasingly hard to find).
Doubly so if you’re a Peter Gabriel fan!
RT
The album features nine tracks,
including the previously-mentioned
Solsbury Hill and the somewhat
anthemic Here Comes the Flood. There
are apparently two versions of the side
two opener, Slowburn, the usual version
(which opens with a piano and is about
4:30 long), and a longer version with an
extended intro. The latter apparently
has only ever appeared on one version
Because it’s a picture disk, there’s a sort
of vinyl rush that’s particularly audible
on the lead in groove (I think I’m right in
stating that all the picture discs I have
suffer from this minor problem to some
extent), but the good news is that the
surfaces are free from other anomalies
(i.e., tics and pops) and the pressing is
flat.
White Orange
...And This is Why I Speak to You in
Parables
Made in China Records (33-RPM 180g
12” single)
MICR 002
I’m always interested in trying new
music, so when I was offered the chance
to listen to White Orange’s current 12”
single, ...And This is Why I Speak to You
in Parables, I leapt at it. White Orange is
a band based in Portland, Oregan, and
I would describe their music as sort of
psychedelic progressive rock.
Containing just two tracks (the
13-minute title track is backed with
Middle of the Riddle), this 12” single
is a limited edition (of only 500 copies)
picture disc. As suits this type of
material, the bass, drums, and electric
guitars are up front in the mix, with
the bass and drums being particularly
prominent (but not in a negative way).
The heavy cardboard sleeve is nice
to see (although it is just a little tight;
another millimetre or two on each side
would make removing and replacing
the record easier—but I quibble!), and
for extra value a download code is
included with the record. The digital
download is available in several
formats—including FLAC—and I think
the band is to be applauded for this.
This is a good record and independent
bands need our support, so give this
one a try! RT
Linda Ronstadt
Simple Dreams
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab/Elektra
Entertainment (33-RPM 180g LP)
MFSL 1-321
I remember hearing two of the tracks
from this album years ago, when I was
a kid. The two tracks were Ronstadt’s
cover of the Buddy Holly track, It’s So
Easy, and Poor Poor Pitiful Me. It was
only relatively recently that I discovered
that those tracks were from the same
album (as a rule I prefer not to buy “best
of” collections), so after living with a
used copy I found somewhere, I was
pleased to discover that Mobile Fidelity
had released a remastered version of
Simple Dreams.
The album was Ronstadt’s fifth
consecutive million-seller, and contains
a mixture of light rock and country
songs. The sound quality is pretty good,
presumably at least partially due to
the relatively simple production. Being
pressed on thick, silent vinyl doesn’t
hurt, either!
doubt a testimony to the skill and care
the producer, Alan Parsons, put into
the project. The bass, when needed to
be, is thunderously deep. For example,
check out the opening heartbeat, the
aforementioned Time, and side two’s
opening track, Money. The latter is also
a good example of how to capture the
air and decay around clock gongs and
chimes. And if your system is really up
to it, you’ll hear some very deep bass
playing in the background.
The packaging is up to MFSL’s usual
high standards: the record itself is
stored in one of MFSL’s trademark antistatic sleeves, and the whole shebang
is stored in a heavy cardboard gatefold
sleeve.
Recommended if you’re a Ronstadt
fan; if you’re interested in exploring her
work, this album is as good a place as
any to start! RT
Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon
Harvest Records (33-RPM 180g LP)
SHVL 804
This multi-million selling record from
1973 hardly needs an introduction, but
given that there are so many younger
people getting into vinyl for the first
time, it’s possible that some of them
haven’t heard this ground-breaking
record yet (especially on vinyl). My
most memorable introduction to The
Dark Side of the Moon was at my
first hi-fi show in England, back in the
early 1990s. Many of the exhibitors
were using the album in their demos,
a favourite track being Time. (I kick
myself even to this day for not picking
up a copy or two of Mobile Fidelity’s
UHQR version of this album, which was
plentifully available at the time!)
The 30th Anniversary Edition under
review here is pressed on thick, flat,
virgin vinyl, and comes in a sumptuous
heavy cardboard gatefold sleeve. Also
included in the package are three
posters and some stickers.
Very highly recommended, I’d go as
far to say that The Dark Side of the
Moon is an essential part of any record
collection. RT
Considering its vintage, the sound
quality on the album is great. Actually,
scratch that. The sound quality on
this album is great, period. This is no
packaging is also of a high standard,
being made from thick cardboard.
While not perhaps up to the high
musical standards set by Jones’ earlier
albums, I recommended this one for its
good sound quality, and it’s a must if
you’re a fan of Ms. Jones! RT
Rickie Lee Jones
Pop Pop
Original Recordings Group/Geffen
Records (two 33-RPM 180g LPs)
ORG 007
Originally released in 1991, Pop Pop
was Rickie Lee Jones’ sixth album,
consisting of 12 covers. Although they
are performed in Jones’ usual style,
various genres are represented on this
album, ranging from jazz and blues to
Jimi Hendrix.
The arrangements are typically very
simple—often just Jones’ singing
accompanied by bass and acoustic
guitar, although most songs have
another instrument or two in the mix.
The sound quality is very good, no
doubt aided by ORG’s decision to
spread the 12 songs over four sides of
very nicely pressed vinyl, which is both
flat and thick (many of ORG’s releases
are actually cut at 45-RPM, but Pop
Pop is one of the few that aren’t). The
Sarah McLachlan
Laws of Illusion
Arista Records (33-RPM LP)
88697-73963-1
Laws of Illusion is the Canadian singersongwriter’s seventh studio album,
and was released last year (2010). The
vinyl version of the album contains ten
tracks, including the single, Loving You
is Easy. The CD version contains an
addition three tracks, but unfortunately
neither version includes McLachlan’s
song One Dream, which was written
for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic
Games.
A mixture of folk-pop and new age,
McLachlan’s music is easy on the ear,
and soothing to listen to. This isn’t a
record if you’re in the mood for bopping
around your room or head bangin’!
The sound quality is OK but rather twodimensional, and the soundstage isn’t
particularly large. Although tics and
pops were very few and far between,
there was a bit surface noise on my copy
(fortunately, the surface noise doesn’t
intrude too much while the songs are
playing). I’m also mildly disappointed
that the record wasn’t pressed on 180g
vinyl. On a positive note, at least it’s not
a paper-thin Dynaflex pressing!
The sound quality is reasonably good
if two rather two dimensional. And the
soundstage could be bigger. Sounds
like cymbals decay nicely without
sounding too splashy; thankfully this
record was recorded decades before
the so-called loudness wars crushed
just about all of the dynamic range out
of many records. The packaging is also
first rate, featuring a heavy cardboard
gatefold sleeve.
Worth checking out, and of course,
vinyl-loving McLachlan fans will want a
copy! RT
Meat Loaf
Bat Out of Hell
Friday Music/Epic Records (33-RPM
180g LP)
FRM 34974
Very highly recommended, I think that
Bat Out of Hell is an essential part of
any record collection! RT
It seems totally strange now, but back
in the mid 1970s Jim Steinman and
Michael Aday (better known to the world
as Meat Loaf) had great difficulty finding
a record company willing to publish
Meat Loaf’s second studio album, Bat
Out of Hell. Three decades and millions
of copies later, Bat Out of Hell has been
remastered from the original tapes by
Joe Reagoso and Kevin Gray at RTI/
AcousTech.
The album consists of only seven songs,
but most of them exceed five minutes
playing time, including the nearly-tenminute title track, which opens the
album. Four of the tracks (You Took the
Words Right Out of My Mouth, Paradise
by the Dashboard Light, Two Out of
Three Ain’t Bad, and Bat Out of Hell),
were released as singles.
The sound quality is middle of the
road—not fantastic, but not terrible
either—which is about what we can
hope for. Tonally fine, the imaging is
somewhat two dimensional although
the soundstage is of a fair size.
Overall,
this
album
merits
a
recommendation, mostly for the music
but also for the sound quality. Add this
one to your collection! RT
The Buggles
The Age of Plastic
Island Records (33-RPM LP)
ILPS 9585
Sky
Sky 2
Ariola Records (two 33-RPM LPs)
AD SKY 2
The Age of Plastic was the first of only
two albums from UK synthpop group,
The Buggles. The album was recorded
as a result of the success of their first
single, Video Killed the Radio Star,
which topped the charts in several
countries (including their native Britain).
The video for Video Killed the Radio
Star was the first (and later, the one
millionth) to be shown on MTV. The
song was more recently parodied in the
ironically titled Internet Killed the Video
Star.
Sky were a British instrumental
group, formed in the late 1970s. Band
members included classical guitarist,
John Williams, Herbie Flowers, Tristan
Fry, and Francis Monkman. This double
album from 1980 first caught my
attention at around that time due to
the single, Toccata, Sky’s rendition of
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (if
you think classical music is boring, you
need to listen to this track!). The single
was backed with Vivaldi, another great
piece of classically inspired rock.
Originally released in 1980, the album
itself contains eight tracks, four of
which were released as singles: Living
in the Plastic Age, Clean Clean, Elstree,
and the aforementioned Video Killed
the Radio Star.
The album’s sound quality is pretty
good, although the treble can be a little
splashy at times. Stereo separation is
good, as is the imaging: on a well set
up system, you can hear the position
of the different tom-toms Fry plays
towards the end of the drum solo in
Toccata.
locked groove: the last parts of Sleep
(Fingers’ Lullaby) repeat ad infinitum.
A long-time favourite of mine, Sky 2
merits a strong recommendation. The
sleeve notes for one of the tracks on
this record exhort the listener to “Turn
this one up loud”. I couldn’t agree more!
RT
Highly recommended for great music
and above average sound quality! RT
The Boomtown Rats
The Fine Art of Surfacing
Ensign Records (33-RPM LP)
ENROX 11
Originally released in 1979, The Fine Art
of Surfacing is the third album by Irish
punk rock band, The Boomtown Rats. It
contains ten tracks, including the three
singles Diamond Smiles, Someone‘s
Looking at You, and the most famous
(or should that be infamous?), I Don’t
Like Mondays, which was inspired
by a teenage shooting spree in San
Diego in which two adults were killed
and eight children and a police officer
were injured. The perpetrator’s only
explanation for her actions was “I don’t
like Mondays; this livens up the day”.
The sound quality on this album is
surprisingly good, especially the bass
which is deep and warm, without being
over done. Of course, the sound is a little
two dimensional, but the soundstage
is pretty wide. An interesting side note
is that the dead wax of side one has a
Final Words
Advertisers Index
Well, that wraps up another issue of
Vinylphile! We hope you enjoy reading
the magazine as much as we do putting
it together.
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issues—don’t worry, we’re not going
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5 - Vinylphile

Transcription

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